Graduate Tuition Waiver Guidelines

Application Process
Students will complete an application form and submit it to the Graduate Secretary. We strongly recommend that students submit applications before the semester of the award begins; however, they are welcome any time up to the last date acceptable in the University. Forms may be downloaded from this web site:

Tuition Waiver Eligibility Criteria (Note that these are the normal conditions under which tuition waiver monies are awarded. The English Department and the Graduate Coordinator maintain the flexibility for extenuating circumstances that might warrant the award of tuition waivers.) All waivers are contingent upon available funds:

GPA minimum of 3.0

PhD students after 4 or 5 years of funding may receive a one-credit tuition waiver for two semesters of continuous enrollment.

PhD students who are admitted but do not seek an assistantship may receive a 3 or 4-credit tuition waiver for six semesters.

Master’s students who are admitted but did not seek an assistantship may receive a 3-credit tuition waiver for four semesters.

PhD students who are admitted on an assistantship, but relinquish that assistantship before five years of funding, may receive a 3 or 4-credit tuition waiver up to five years (ten semesters) of enrollment in the program.

Master’s students who are admitted on an assistantship, but relinquish that assistantship before two years of funding, may receive a 3-credit tuition waiver up to two years (four semesters) of enrollment in the program.

Decision Process

Tuition waivers will be granted on a rolling basis. The Coordinator of Graduate Studies shall evaluate applicants’ materials and make award decisions. The Coordinator of Graduate Studies shall report those decisions each semester to the English Graduate Committee.

Deadlines for application:

August 20th for the Fall semester
January 20th for the Spring semester
May 20th for the Summer semester